A Daughter of Aslan
by 1monster2
Summary: A young Archenlander has been enslaved by a Calormen Tarkaan for 12 years. When her master is chosen to carry a peace treaty to Narnia, her life will change dramatically. Will Sarah be able to escape, or will she remain a slave?


**A/N: Hello, all! I know that I should be working on MALA, and I will be eventually…. I just know that I've had this idea rattling around in my brain for a long time, but I made myself wait until after I finished ARMN to write it. I don't know what gave me the idea…it just kind of appeared.** **This is my first foray into the Narnia fandom since all of my dud stories, so…. this should be interesting!** **I've been working a lot on Newsies fanfiction, so if you've heard of that play, go and take a look!** **Anyways, I'm just going to go ahead and start the story… ;)**

 **DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN NARNIA AND NEVER WILL I JUST LOVE THE NARNIA STORIES SO MUCH!**

 **Please enjoy "** _ **A Daughter of Aslan**_ **"!**

"Wake up, you lazy idiot! Wake up!" A young girl blinked open her eyes and rolled over on her side-before jumping away in horror as a large pot flew towards her. She landed on the ground, letting out a hiss of pain as she landed. "Come on, you lazy child! We are arriving in the barbarian kingdom, and will be encountering their demon creatures any moment! Your Tarkaan is waiting on you to get him ready, and you are simply lying around in bed! Get UP!" The young soldier who had awakened her harshly grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, ignoring when she groaned in pain. She sighed, and slowly started walking towards a nearby tent. The young girl's name was Sarah. She had lived in Archenland for three months, before being kidnapped by Calormen slave traders. Ever since then, she had been serving Tarkaan Enriq and his family. To say they weren't the nicest people in the world wasn't a long shot. In fact, she had tried many times to escape. Each time, they had found her, and "taught" her not to do it again. Tarkaan Enriq was even more cautious now, because he had been chosen by the Tisroc (may he live forever) to travel to the northern barbarian country of Narnia and attempt to negotiate a treaty with the Kings and Queens that wouldn't involve any restrictions on the slave trade that was so prosperous to Calormen. A trade that Sarah was _very_ familiar with, having been a part of it herself from the moment that she was born. She quickly started over to Tarkaan Enriq's tent, but wasn't able to dodge the small pan that was thrown at her from the other side of the camp. "You lazy girl! You were supposed to be up before the sun rose, and it is now two hours past! You bring disgrace on our name!" Tarkheena Enriq cried, dragging her towards the tent. "Your master will be having words with you." She shoved Sarah into the tent, where she was met with a large slap. Sarah staggered back, clutching the side of her face. "You insolent little maggot! How dare you not be here when you were supposed to be? You are the worst slave I have ever had!"

"I'm sorry, Master Enriq, I-"

"No excuses, Sarah! You will be here when I summon you, or else I will come and visit your tent again…and you will not enjoy the outcome." Sarah shuddered, fear clearly showing in her eyes. "Yes, sir." she muttered quietly. She then set about doing her morning chores, avoiding eye contact with the Tarkaan as much as she could. After the Tarkaan and his family (and everyone else who was with him) had eaten, the tents were taken down, and the entire party began to head for Narnia.

It took them about two hours into Narnia itself before they ran into a patrol. It was made up of some satyrs, a couple dogs, and a couple of centaurs.

"Halt." a deep voice boomed. It was one of the centaurs speaking. "Who are you, and why have you entered Narnia?" The disgust in Tarkaan Enriq's eyes was not fully hidden by the time he replied, "We are ambassadors from the Tisroc of Calormen-may he live forever-on a diplomatic mission to this illustrious paradise of a country. We bear a peace treaty to be offered from our country to yours." The centaur sighed, his black tail swishing in the wind. "Very well. We will escort me to the Cair, where the Kings and Queens will hear your treaty. Follow us." They turned and started walking off. The Tarkaan shuddered as soon as his back was turned, but they then followed the patrol. They kept walking until they caught sight of Cair Paravel on the horizon. Sarah caught her breath at the sight, but soon felt a slap to her shoulder. "The sights of this barbaric country are nothing compared to the wonders of Tashbaan. Remember that-or it won't be the only lesson you'll be learning." Sarah shyly nodded, again not making eye contact with anyone.

Finally, they arrived at the top of the winding road leading to Cair Paravel. The Tarkaan and his retinue dismounted, and gave their horses' reins to Sarah. She sighed, and lead them over to a nearby stable while Enriq and his company started up the stairs for the castle. They were met by a tall and powerfully built man with blond hair and sky-blue eyes. "Welcome to Cair Paravel, Tarkaan Enriq. We are honored to have you with us. If you will follow me, I will show you to your rooms." With that, he started up the stairs, the Calormen envoys following.

Sarah remained in the stables, brushing down their horses. She was trying to avoid the Tarkaan and Tarkheenas' horses as best as she could, as they were rather fiery horses, prone to lash out a hoof or attempt to bite her. She had already received a kick to the shoulder from the Tarkheena's horse Aravina, and could already see the bruise slowly forming. She sighed, before giving her horse a scratch behind the ears. A jingling behind her caught her by surprise, causing her to swivel around and smack her head on a low beam in the stable.

"Owh…"

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to startle you. Are you all right?" Sarah looked up to see a rather tall and lanky boy in front of her, who only looked a few years older than herself. He was extremely handsome, with black hair and dark brown eyes. He was holding the reins of a large brown horse, and looking concernedly at her. Sarah stood frozen for a few moments, until her brain kindly reminded her that she was supposed to say something back. "Oh, yes…I'm all right. Should have noticed that that was so low…"

The boy stepped closer, and Sarah almost forgot how to breathe for a moment. He raised a hand, and Sarah barely controlled her natural knee-jerk reaction of flinching. Instead of slapping her, though, he rested his fingers on her temple, running his thumb over a bruise that was forming on her forehead. "That doesn't look like you're… _what is that_?" he asked, pointing to her right shoulder. Sarah looked down and cursed herself. She had forgotten to pull her sleeve back up and over the bruise from Aravina's kick, which means it was there for anyone to see-including this unknown boy. Sarah quickly moved away. "It's nothing, sir…I just got on the wrong side of my master's wife's horse. She doesn't like me very much…and neither does my master's horse. I should have remembered how much they like to kick." She made to turn away, but the boy lightly grabbed her shoulders. "Hey-it's all right. What's your name? I don't think I've seen you here before…"

"No, sir, you wouldn't have…my master has just arrived in Narnia on a diplomatic errand."

"Your master…" a breath, "You mean Tarkaan Enriq, don't you."

"Yes, sir…and my name isn't important…"

"It is to me-I'd like to get to know you, and I can't start unless you tell me your name."

"…Sarah."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah. My name is Edmund."

"Wait a minute…you don't mean _King_ _Edmund the Just,_ do you?"

"Yep, that's me."

Oh boy.

This wasn't good.

Not by a longshot.

Sarah sighed, nervously looking down and away from Edmund. "It's an honor to meet you, sir…now, if you'll excuse me…" She cautiously turned towards Aravina, before ducking away as the mare attempted to bite her neck. The brown horse the boy- _Edmund_ -had been leading let out a harsh neigh, and seemed to be telling Aravina off in horse-speak. Then, he turned to the young girl. "Terribly sorry about that one-nasty representation of our kind, she is, and her husband, as a matter of fact. I've told her off for trying to bite you and for kicking you, so hopefully she shouldn't do that again." Sarah stopped moving, staring at the horse in shock. "Did…did he just say what I thought he did?" Edmund smirked as he nodded.

"Oh yes, Phillip here is a Talking Horse. I don't think there are many of those in Calormen…"

"Oh, no…there's only brief mentions of them in Calormen stories…they're mentioned as some of the…well…" Sarah cut off, sure that what she had been about to say was not appropriate to say in front of a Talking Horse _or_ a King of Narnia. "Well, whatever the stories say, I am honored to make your acquaintance, Master Horse." she said, bowing slightly. Phillip chuckled lightly at Edmund, who rolled his eyes in return. "The pleasure is mine, Miss Sarah." the Horse murmured.

"There you are, you miserable little wretch!" Into the stables walked a Calormen soldier-one of Tarkaan Enriq's retinue. He stalked over to Sarah and grabbed her roughly by the arm. "The Tarkaan has been waiting for you-again! How many times must you incur his wrath?"

"I'm sorry…I was just taking care of the horses…I'll head up there now." Sarah murmured quietly. The soldier began to drag her out of the stables, shoving her forwards, and Edmund was surprised to see how much Sarah treated this like it was a normal occurrence. He was also surprised that the soldier didn't seem to notice the other person in the room. As the two left the stables, Sarah briefly looked back nervously at Edmund before being pushed forwards and out of his line of sight. Edmund sighed, turning to Phillip. "There's something wrong going on there, Phillip. I don't know how much I can do to fix it…but there's definitely something wrong there."

"I'm sure there is something you can do, Edmund…I'm just not sure what it is. However, I think your sisters would enjoy meeting a woman like her…don't you think?" Edmund grinned at Phillip as he started removing the horse's tack. "You know, Phillip-that's a great idea."

"How _dare_ you neglect your duties?" The Tarkaan was staring Sarah down. She was cowering slightly in the corner, looking nervous. "I wasn't neglecting them, Master-I was putting the horses in the stables, just like I was supposed to be. I had just finished when Tamak came and dragged me off. I didn't know you needed my services, Master, as-"

"Enough of your drivel!" Tarkheena Enriq slapped her across the face. "You know that you are to finish your tasks quickly and efficiently, and to come back to your Master _immediately_. Since you did none of those things, we can only assume that you were lying down on the job, and lying about everything else! You are lucky that your Master is in a good mood, or else you would be out on your head!" A knock on the door startled everyone, but the Tarkheena quickly recovered, and shoved Sarah towards the door. She opened it-and nervously gasped. In front of her stood a large Centaur, with black hair, a black lower body, and two _large_ swords. He seemed to realize that she was nervous, because he smiled down at her kindly. "Greetings, little one. I seek the Tarkann Enriq, and I was told he is to be found in this room?" Sarah gulped, before nodding. "Y..yes, he's in here." The Centaur bowed, and made his way slightly into the room as Sarah moved back. "Tarkaan Enriq-the Magnificent and Just Kings extend their greetings, and invite your and your wife to dine with them this afternoon. The Gentle and Valiant Queens extend their regrets that they will be unable to attend, as they must attend to matters of state. If you are agreed, I will lead you there now." The Tarkaan and Tarkeena looked pompously at each other, before nodding, and slowly heading out the door. The soldiers in the Calormen retinue began to settle down and take care of their personal needs, and Sarah just turned in circles, as a loss as to what to do. She then felt a gentle hand on her shoulder as the Centaur leaned down and whispered, "Head up to the fourth floor, and enter the first room on the right. There are some ladies there who would like to meet you."

"They…they want to meet me?"

"Yes-the Queens are very keen to meet you. Fourth floor, first door on the right." The Centaur smiled at her and then trotted off, leaving Sarah standing there in utter speechlessness. The Queens wanted to meet her. The _Queens_. _Of Narnia_.

Well…that was…unexpected. After spending a few minutes standing in the same spot, looking like a fish without water, Sarah sighed. " _If the Queens are expecting you…you have to go._ " she murmured to herself. Thankfully, the soldiers didn't seem to notice that she had left the room. She shyly wandered around the castle, only stopping once when a matronly-looking Beaver came over and hugged her, and then started lecturing her about how thin she was. It was odd, but Sarah found that she actually enjoyed it, and slowly seemed to draw comfort from the motherly creature, who also helped guide her to the room she was looking for.

"Well, this is it, dearie…I know they're going to love you." Mrs. Beaver said gently, looking up at the young girl-who seemed to be frozen in her tracks. She softly shook her head. "I don't think I can do this…I don't think I can do this."

"Of course you can-just be yourself. I know the Queens will love you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because my husband and I were the first Narnians the Kings and Queens ever met in Narnia-besides Mr. Tummnus, of course-and we _know_ them. I know for a fact that Queen Lucy will absolutely adore you, and Queen Susan will immediately do like I did and start telling you off for how thin you are." Sarah smiled thinly, before taking a deep breath, and slowly opening the door. As it opened, she saw two women sitting at a table near a large open window. As the door swung open, both of the ladies turned to face the door before smiling brightly. "You must be Sarah-come on in!" the younger girl cried, running up and nearly tackling Sarah with a hug. She looked to be about three years older than Sarah (which meant that she would be about fifteen), with auburn hair and vivacious green eyes. Sarah winced slightly in pain from the unexpected embrace, but successfully controlled her nervous reaction to flinch when the girl drew near. "I'm Lucy, and that's Susan over there." the older girl (Lucy) said, pointing over at her sister. Susan waved a hand and started towards them, grinning at Lucy's antics. Sarah shyly bowed to the both of them. "Your Majesties, I am honored that you wish to see me, but…why me? I am no one-the Tarkaan and Tarkeena are more important than a simple sla… _servant_. And anyways, I thought Your Majesties were engaged in other matters…"

"First off, you don't have to call us 'Your Majesties' when it's just us. Just Lucy and Susan will be fine, just like how we'll call you Sarah, all right?" At Susan's calm tone, Sarah couldn't help but nod. "All right. I can understand your confusion, but what Orieus said was…mostly true. The Calormens tend to see women as only objects, and we know for a fact that somewhere in the treaty that Tarkaan Enriq carries will be a caveat of some sort that we have to marry some Calormen man. Lucy and I'd rather not spend lunch being oogled at the entire meal…which I'm sure you can understand." Sarah shyly gulped, and then nodded. "Also, this _is_ a matter of state. We love to make friends from other places, especially people as special as yourself."

"I'm not that special, Your… _Susan_." Sarah protested quietly. "I'm just a sl… _servant_ of Tarkaan Enriq." Mentally, she kicked herself. Tarkaan Enriq had warned her beforehand not to say anything about how she was a slave, and not a servant, unless she wanted the beating of a lifetime.

"Everyone is special, Sarah, in their own way-even you. Edmund seems to agree…he couldn't stop talking about you earlier. And he's not an easy person to impress on the first meeting."

"King Edmund…was talking…about me?"

"Yes-as soon as you left the stables, he came and told us about this brilliant and sweet girl he had just met." At Lucy's words, Sarah smiled down at the floor, blushing profusely.

"I'm sure he does that with every girl he meets."

"Not since we've been ruling here. Sure, there have been girls whose company he has enjoyed, but he hasn't talked this much about a girl he only talked with for a minute and a half since…ever, pretty much." Susan gently murmured, smiling at Sarah. Then, she cleared her throat. "Now, we've kept you standing for long enough-won't you come and sit down to lunch with us? We'd love to get to know you better." Sarah slowly and softly looked up at them before grinning and nodding. The three girls smiled at each other, and then headed over to the table.

Later that night, the four monarchs gathered around a table. They had finished dinner a while ago, and were simply sitting and talking. The topic of the day was-of course-the Calormen diplomats and their treaty, which Edmund was going to be reading through the next day (since he was the best at that sort of thing), as well as a certain young woman…

"I'm certain, Peter. Every time we would ask her what she did for Tarkaan Enriq, she would start saying "sla" before stopping and saying "servant". I am absolutely positive that if she wasn't so conscious of what she was saying, she would have said "slave"." Susan murmured.

"We knew that the Calormens regularly engaged in slave trading, but have done nothing about it." Edmund murmured, looking up at his brother. "I can't let it go this time. Something in me just won't let Sarah stay a slave any longer. We have to get her out…I just don't know how." Peter nodded solemnly, carefully thinking over everything his siblings had told him. Then, he nodded. "All right-if you three feel so strongly about this, then we'll do it. I haven't had a chance to talk to her myself, but I'm sure I'll get a chance at some point tomorrow night at the reception."

"Why do we even have to have a bloody reception for the Calormens-they always end with a huge quarrel between a Narnian and a Calormen soldier screaming about heathens and demons."

"Because it's common courtesy, Ed, and we have to do it for Calormen since we do it for every other country." Susan sighed, looking frustrated at it herself. Peter and Lucy looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "At least it'll be an interesting night." Lucy grinned.

"I cannot believe that the barbarian kings associate with these demonic heathens!" It was the night of the party, and-as usual-the Calormen soldiers had gotten drunk. Sarah was impressed at how long it had taken them; usually it only took them around five minutes to become totally wasted. The two main problems with that, however, was that the soldiers were now much more inclined to violence towards the Narnians than before, and that they were more inclined to violence-and worse-towards Sarah than before. Sarah sighed. "They are not demonic heathens…they are the creatures of this country, just like humans are the creatures of Calormen. You would murder any who spoke ill of the citizens of Calormen, so stop talking, because I'm sure the Narnians would do the same to you." The leader of the soldiers, Tamak, turned towards her, placing a hand in a vice grip on her arm. "You should know better than to talk back to your superiors, you worthless piece of scum!" He squeezed her arm tightly, leaving handprint-shaped bruises, before slapping Sarah across the face. She managed (somehow) to keep a groan of pain from escaping, trying not to disrupt the party as much as she could.

"If this is how you get your amusement, I'm sure you can find it elsewhere." Both Sarah and the soldiers turned upon hearing a warm tenor voice. Standing off to the side was a tall man (a little taller than Edmund, Sarah figured), with blond hair and bright blue eyes. He smirked at them, before casually moving to stand in front of Sarah, in between her and the soldiers. "There's other ways to occupy your time, I'm certain." With a few disgruntled glares and low growls, the men slowly slunk off. Once he was certain that they were gone, the man turned back to face Sarah. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop them from hitting you." He knelt down and gently placed his fingers on Sarah's cheek, tracing the outline of Tamak's hand. "That will bruise, I'm afraid." he murmured. Sarah gulped. She had been shown a lot of kindness in the last couple of days by people she had never known before, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. "That's all right…I'm used to it." she quietly murmured, almost inaudibly. The man rested his hand against her cheek briefly, before smiling at her. "You're Sarah, right? Edmund, Susan, and Lucy have told me a lot about you. I'm Peter, their older brother." Sarah inhaled sharply. This was _Peter Pevinsie._ The _High King of all Narnia._

Oh boy.

"Yes…I'm Sarah. I'm surprised the others have mentioned me." she whispered. Peter chuckled. "They couldn't _stop_ talking about you. They all seem to like you a lot."

"I don't know why…I'm a nobody."

"No." Surprised at his answer, Sarah looked up, only to gulp in fear as he dramatically locked eyes with her. Once he was certain that he had her full attention, he continued. "You are _not_ a nobody. Everyone is here for a purpose, even if we don't learn it until the end of our lives. Aslan has something for each of us to do-without that, we wouldn't be here." He sighed. "I know the Calormens talk about Aslan as if he is a demon, or something like that, but I assure you-he loves you, and wants to talk with you." Sarah gulped again, slowly nodding. Peter, realizing that he had slightly terrified the young girl, slowly stood up and offered Sarah his hand. "I believe there's some people who would love nothing more than to talk to you." he gently murmured, leading her over to Susan and Lucy, who immediately embraced the younger girl. Peter carried on for a little ways, stopping briefly behind Edmund. "You're right-we have to get her out of there. _Now_." With that, he continued on forwards to greet some others, not even having to look behind him to feel his brother's joyous smirk lighting up his face.

"How dare you? How dare you spend all night fraternizing with those barbarians, and neglect even the basic service of your master! You have brought shame and dishonor on not only our family, but the entirety of Calormen as a whole with your despicable acts! What do you have to say for yourself?" Sarah was currently cowering in the corner, trying to avoid the wrath of Tarkeena Enriq. "I don't know, I…they demanded that I talk with them, and I am trained never to refuse a direct order!"

"You do not fraternize with the barbarian sovereigns in the first place! Because of you, our entire treaty may be at risk-and if it falls through, or Tarkaan Enriq is hurt in any way, the Tisroc-may he live forever-will consider it an act of war and send his armies to destroy this pathetic country and all who live in it! And don't you dare delude yourself that we don't know what you were talking about! If you have told or tell anyone about who you really are, I promise that you will not see the light of day." She angrily advanced towards the young girl, joined by Tarkaan Enriq and Tamak. "First, we shall teach you a lesson. Painfully. Then, you will go down to the stables and make everything spotless for our departure from Narnia after the treaty is signed tomorrow." As they began 'teaching her a lesson', Sarah let out a loud and piercing scream. After about thirty minutes, she was finally able to- _very slowly and painfully_ -make her way down to the stables. She attempted to begin her tasks, before blinking a few times, and quietly collapsing into a pile of hay.

A harsh neighing woke Sarah up. She slowly opened her eyes, before jumping in shock as she realized where she was. She had fallen asleep in the stables at Cair Paravel, and her master would not be pleased. He would expect her to be already in his room waiting on him, and instead she had fallen asleep in the stables of the Kings and Queens whom the Calormenes despised.

Her master would kill her.

Or the Narnians would.

Either way, she was dead.

Although, she had noticed that whenever she had accidently interacted with the Kings and Queens, they had been rather kind and gentle with her. She figured that it was just because she was a guest in the castle, but when she was gone, they would forget she even existed. She sighed, and started to try to get up. However, that seemed to be beyond her at the moment. Her muscles cried out at every movement she made, and everything all over just hurt.

Suddenly, the sound of beating hoof beats reached her ears. She closed her eyes and groaned sadly. She really didn't want to be caught by anyone at the moment.

"Sarah?"

Oh no. No no no no no no.

Why did it have to be him? Why?

Sarah slowly raised her eyes to see the Just King, who was dismounting from a large brown horse (which her brain finally recognized to be Phillip). She gasped in horror, and tried to scoot back and get away from him, but she was up against a wall anyway and couldn't move any further. Edmund got down from Phillip as quickly as he could, and started towards her. Once he got close enough, he lowered himself to his knees. He could see how terrified Sarah was, and how beaten up she was. He growled lightly under his breath. Sarah was much younger than he was (at least 5 years younger, and he was only 17), and he was extremely angered that anyone would try to hurt her. " _For Pete's sake-it's like someone trying to hurt Lucy!_ " he thought to himself. He shook his head, focusing his attention on the scared girl in front of him. "Sarah? What are you doing in here?" Sarah shook her head, almost refusing to answer. "…Nothing…I…uh…I…uh…." She looked away, refusing to look at Edmund. She looked almost guilty, as if what was going on was her fault. Edmund sighed, gently placing one hand on her shoulder and one on her cheek, turning her face to face him. He could see terror, guilt, and sadness battling for dominance in her hazel eyes. For her part, Sarah expected to see condemnation in Edmund's eyes. Instead, she only saw love, gentleness, and concern.

"What happened, Sarah? Why were you sleeping in here?"

"Oh, no reason, I, uh…my master…uh…wanted me to take care of his horse, and I…I guess I fell asleep." She tried to get up, murmuring, "I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again-I'll just be going now…" She felt the hand on her shoulders tighten-while still remaining gentle-at the same time that Edmund felt her trembling beneath him.

"Why don't you just sit here for a while? I'm sure Tarkaan Enriq won't mind it at all if you sit and rest for a bit."

Sarah's eyes widened. "No, I can't-if I'm not up there soon ready to serve him, he'll…" She trailed off, too terrified to tell Edmund what the Tarkaan had done to her, but also too afraid of what Enriq would _begin_ to do if he found out that she told one of the "barbarian" kings (who didn't seem to be barbarians at all) about it. The Just King seemed to understand where she had been going with her statement, though, by the way his eyes darkened, almost seeming to turn black. At her terrified look and slight mewl of fear, Edmund shook himself and looked back at the younger girl. He left his right hand cupping her cheek, while he slowly moved his left hand down to her right wrist and gently picked it up, bringing it into eyesight of both of them. There were numerous scars and abrasions winding around her small wrist, and one long burn that looked fairly recent-if Edmund had to guess, he'd say it would have happened in the last couple of days.

"Did Tarkaan Enriq do this to you?" he queried. Sarah looked at the ground and shook her head, again refusing to answer. Edmund sighed, and gently rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. "Sarah. You can tell me. I promise he won't come after you if you tell me. Peter and I will make sure no harm will come to you."

"You don't understand-I can't tell you! If I somehow get away or something happens to my master while I'm here, the Tisroc-may he do…something-will consider it an act of war against Calormen, and he'll invade Narnia. I would tell you, but I want to keep Narnia safe, so I can't!" By the end of her rant, Sarah was breathing rather quickly and starting to panic a bit. Edmund grinned at her, gently tipping her head forwards a bit, and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. When he pulled away, Sarah stared up at him in shock. "You can _trust_ us, Sarah. We're already getting ready to refuse their treaty anyways."

"Why?"

"Well, it might have something to do with the fact that they wanted us to allow them to keep trading…people like yourself…and that they wanted to marry off Lucy and Susan to some Tarkaans and force them to live in Tashban year-round."

"And your Majesties would never accept that." Sarah murmured quietly. Edmund nodded. "Exactly. Since we're refusing the treaty, it won't look like an act of war-they'll just think it's the 'barbarian kings and queens' doing something 'barbaric' again. No one would care if you hid away here."

"He would care-and he would know."

"He has other slaves, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but not many as young and…attractive as myself." She guiltily looked down, knowing that there was no way the Just King could accept her now, with what the Tarkaan had done to her. A few tears began to leak out of her eyes, and she closed them out of shame. So it came as a complete shock when she felt another gentle kiss to her forehead, and Edmund's thumb-the one still resting on her face-beginning to stroke her cheek and wipe away her tears. "Don't worry, Sarah. We won't let him get near you ever again." Sarah was full out crying now, and so hardly noticed Edmund slowly lifting her off of the ground. He then started off towards the castle (after quietly talking with Phillip), being careful not to aggravate any of her injuries. As he approached the door, it slammed open, and a tall form hurried out.

"Ed-what happened?"

"Bloody Tarkaan Enriq is what happened, Pete. Have you seen what he's done to her?" Peter came closer, and his blue eyes widened in shock. He let out a strangled gasp as he saw her scars, including the recent burn that Edmund had seen. "He's beaten her to a pulp." he murmured sadly. Edmund nodded, his eyes flashing in rage.

"That's not all he's done, Pete. He bloody…used her." From the muttered curse Edmund heard, he knew his brother grasped his meaning. "She wouldn't tell me flat out that he beat her, because she wanted to protect Narnia and thought that the Tisroc would see it as an act of war and attack us. She was ready to just go back and keep letting him do as he wished to her in order to protect us." He looked down at Sarah and unconsciously tightened his arms.

"You told her that's all hogwash, right? That we're going to refuse the treaty no matter what that slime of a Tarkaan says?"

"Of course I did. I don't think she's cottoned on to it yet, though. She's still terrified of him, which is to be expected after serving as a slave for every year of your life." He sighed, and suddenly felt Sarah moving around in his arms a little. Both brothers saw her lift her face from Edmund's chest (which she had been quietly sobbing into) and look slowly up at them. When she saw Peter, she yelped in fear. "High King Peter-I…uh…" Peter smiled at her, placing a large hand warmly on top of her head. "It's all right, Sarah. Whatever Ed told you, it's true. We are refusing the treaty, and we're _also_ refusing to let you go back with Tarkaan Enriq." Her eyes widened to an almost absurd degree, and both Edmund and Peter had an awkward desire to laugh. The older King got over it quicker, though, and turned to his brother. "Ed, take her up to that room next to Lucy's. I'll send Lucy and Susan over there as quickly as I can." Edmund nodded, and headed into the castle. Peter waited outside for around five minutes or so, until Susan and Lucy rode up from their trip out to the countryside. As soon as she dismounted, Lucy could immediately tell that something was wrong.

"Peter? What happened?"

"Edmund found Sarah earlier sleeping in the stables."

"In the stables? Why was she sleeping in there-doesn't she know how cold that is?"

"Susan, let me finish. Apparently, she told Edmund that she was taking care of her master's horse, and she fell asleep. Edmund tried to get her to confirm that Enriq was beating her and mistreating her, but she wouldn't, because she wanted to protect Narnia from a Calormen attack, which she thought could occur if Enriq knew that she told us." He stopped talking, turning to Lucy with a nervous look in his eyes. "Lu-she's in a bad way. She needs your help. I told Ed I would send you two up there…"

"Don't worry, Peter-we're on our way." Lucy smiled at him, and Susan nodding. The two girls each rested a hand on his shoulders, before heading up towards the room Sarah was in. Edmund was outside the room, leaning against the wall and resting his head against it. Lucy and Susan rushed up towards him.

"Ed-how is she?"

"I won't lie to you, Su…she's not that good. That Tarkaan beat up every inch of her that he could and still be able to hide it…and he…well, let's just say that she's a young and pretty slave to a cruel and controlling man…and that he spent extra time with her…and you'll get what I'm saying." By Susan's barely controlled gasp of horror, she certainly did.

"Is she still refusing to say whether or not it was the Tarkaan who did it?" Edmund nodded viciously. "Yeah, she is…maybe you guys could talk to her. Help her to understand that we're not going to let her go back to that despicable Tarkaan, and that we won't get attacked by Calormen for it." The girls smiled and nodded, before heading through the door-and immediately gasping in shock. "Sarah…oh my goodness…" Susan cried, running up towards the younger girl. Peter hadn't been lying when he said that she was in a bad way, the nineteen–year-old Queen decided.

She was very bad.

The Centaur healers in the room had covered her decently with a towel, but everywhere the two sisters _could_ see was littered with bruises, cuts, burns, and even more injuries. Susan wasn't sure, but she thought that she could see some broken bones. Lucy was already looking her over with her practiced healer's eye, and cataloging all of her injuries. "Almada-do you think she needs the cordial?"

"I do not think it would hurt, Your Majesty, but I don't know how severe all of her injuries are yet, or where all of them are. Therefore, I would advise Your Majesty to hold off on the cordial until we know for sure that we will or will not need it." Lucy nodded, and helped the older centaur look for more injuries. Susan heard footsteps behind her, and half-turned to see both of her brothers entering the room. "She's in good hands…but I can't imagine the hands that she's been in before." she quietly murmured. Peter hugged her from behind, pulling her into his chest. "She'll make it through, Su. She's had to be strong, to make it this far. We'll help her get through this-as will Aslan." Susan simply nodded, staring at their downed friend nervously. Edmund hadn't said anything since they had entered, but had walked over to sit by Sarah's head. It was good that he did so, because right after he got himself settled, Sarah woke up, and started rolling around in pain. Edmund quietly caught her shoulders and held them down. "Sarah-it's all right. You're with me, and Lucy, and Susan, and Peter-you're not with Tarkaan Enriq. Just relax. I know it hurts now, but it'll feel better soon." As he murmured in her ear, the younger girl slowly calmed down enough until she could breathe without freaking out. She then looked around to see all four monarchs staring at her. "Oh…hello." she murmured shyly, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just-"

" _Sarah_." Edmund's voice was incredibly quiet and gentle, and almost compelled her to look up. She just barely held out, though…or at least she did until a long and slender finger slid under her chin and lifted it until she was looking at them all again. "You are _not_ intruding, no matter how much you think you are. We want to make sure that you are all right-and that you never go back to that horrid Tarkaan ever again."

"Why?"

"Because you're our friend. And we don't want to see you getting hurt if we can stop it. And because Aslan loves you, just like he loves us, and he doesn't want you to get hurt." Sarah looked down shyly. "I've never met Aslan…I doubt he could love a person like me. I'm too…broken for it."

"You're never too broken, Sarah. Trust me-if Aslan could love the four of us, with what we've done, he can love you too. When you meet him, you'll understand." Lucy smiled at the younger girl, who managed a small grin in return, before lying back down.

"I apologize that I kept you waiting, Oh Great Kings and Queens. I was…unfortunately occupied." Tarkaan Enriq declared, from where he kneeled on the floor of Cair Paravel. "One of my…personal workers…has gone missing, and I hoped to find her before coming to engage with Your Greatnesses. Alas, my search to this point has been unfruitful." He sighed, finally rising to his feet. "But that is not why we are gathered in this illustrious hall today. We are gathered to celebrate the beauteous marriage between the fair Narnia and the righteous Calormen, between our peoples and yours, and between our fair maidens…and yours. We shall celebrate the conjoining of the great minds of the acclaimed King Peter, and the infamous and noble Tisroc-may he live forever, and the uniting of our countries under the almighty and all-encompassing power of the god Tash." The Tarkaan took a second to breathe and collect his thoughts, but before he could continue, Peter cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Tarkaan Enriq. While we are here to discuss the treaty between our two great nations, we are not here to sign it." The Tarkaan coughed, almost as if he had a hairball trying to crawl its way out of his throat. When he had regained control of himself, he glared up at the Pevensie siblings. "You dare to refuse the hand of friendship the Tisroc of Calormen-may he live forever-has extended to you? If an accord is not struck between us, Narnia will be cut down by our swords and spears!" All eyes swung towards Edmund, who smirked, rolling his eyes. "Our brother, the Just King," Peter responded, "will explain why we cannot accept this treaty."

"If your brother is as _just_ and _intelligent_ as you say, Oh Barbarian King, then he must understand that the Tisroc-may he live forever-will not offer a more gracious treaty than this, and that the next shall come at the point of a sword." Edmund sighed. Sometimes he really wished the Calormenes would just get to the point, instead of peppering their monologues with excess amounts of flowery language. He had gotten used to it throughout his seven years as King, but it still irked him on occasion…and made it really hard not to throttle the stupid Tarkaan there and then. "Tarkaan Enriq-there are multiple reasons why we cannot accept the treaty with Calormen. Firstly, to sign the treaty would advance the false idea that Narnia in any way supports the trading of enslaved persons that goes on in Calormen. No one in Narnia would support anything of that nature. Secondly, my honorable sisters, the Gentle and Valiant Queens, have made it expressly clear to both High King Peter and myself that they refuse any offer of marriage between themselves and Calormen Tarkaans, and to live anywhere except for Cair Paravel. Thirdly, hidden amongst much flowery language, lies the approval for occupation of much of Narnia's land by Calormen. The Tisroc-may he live-knows full well that Narnia's Sovereigns would never give up any of the country they hold most dear, so he disguises it in descriptive and flattering text-but in vain. We will not agree to turn over any territory of Narnia's. Lastly, the treaty asserts the expectation that Narnia and Calormen would become united in worship of the god Tash. This will never be. We-and all of Narnia-will now and forever more serve the great and glorious Aslan, who spoke the whole world into being and honored us Kings and Queens with the opportunity to serve the Narnians as their rulers. We will never turn aside from that faith to worship other gods, no matter who they might be. So, in conclusion-we shall not be signing a treaty with Calormen today, Tarkaan Enriq."

During Edmund's speech, the Tarkaan's face had been growing steadily redder, and he had started to mumble under his breath. Peter, Susan, and Lucy couldn't hear what he was saying, but they could guess that it wasn't all that flattering. After he finished speaking, Enriq literally blew up, cursing everything from Aslan to the sun, moon, and stars, to their parents-and everything in between. His rant carried on for at least five minutes, before he finally lost steam. Once he did, Peter, Susan, and Lucy all stood up to join Edmund. "Tarkaan Enriq-you have the rest of the day to gather all belongings and persons belonging to yourself and begin to head back to Calormen. Any attack on citizens of Narnia or Archenland will be counted as an act of war against either country, and we are not afraid of the Tisroc or Calormen." Enriq started foaming at the mouth, and had to be held back by his guards to prevent him from shooting up towards the thrones and trying to strangle either Peter or Edmund…or all four children. No one was really sure. Suddenly, Enriq froze.

"WHAT? NOT ONLY HAVE YOU DESECRATED THE NAME OF MY COUNTRY, MY TISROC-MAY HE LIVE FOREVER-AND THE TRUE GOD, TASH, BUT YOU HAVE ALSO _**KIDNAPPED MY SLAVE GIRL? YOU TOOK MY WENCH?**_ " Tarkaan Enriq had just looked up to see Sarah being slowly helped down the stairs of the main platform. She was wearing a light white dress and some light brown slippers (that Peter and Edmund may or may not have identified as Susan's that she almost never wore). She still looked to be in a tremendous deal of pain, but she was moving around a bit better. Granted, she had two Narnians and two Queens helping her, so it was a bit easier than normal.

"I am not yours to own, Tarkaan Enriq. I am a free woman, and I will not be your slave any longer. I am going to stay in Narnia with the Kings and Queens."

"You will come back to Tashbaan with me now, or I shall murder all of your family!"

"I don't even know who my family is! I don't know where I come from or who I was before you bought me in that auction! All I've ever known was being forced to wait on you, and…" She cut off, refusing to say what else had happened while she was Enriq's slave. Some things were not acceptable to speak of in court. She gulped, and then continued quietly. "All I've ever known is enslavement and servitude to you and your family. If I didn't move fast enough, or do something well enough, or…anything else, you would beat me, or whip me, or…mistreat me in some other way. I've lived in constant fear of you for twelve years…and enough is enough. You will go back to Calormen, and I will stay here. In Narnia."

"You will come back with me right now, or I shall tell all of this barbaric land all that you have done for me. And I mean _all_." Sarah took a deep breath, obviously shaken. She backed up a few steps, stopping when she felt a gentle hand entwining in each of hers. She looked to her sides to see Lucy on her left and Susan on her right. Edmund and Peter were right behind them. "Under pain of death, you and all who belong to you will leave Narnia-and you will leave Sarah here. If you are not out of Narnia before the day is over, you will no longer be protected by the Sovereigns of this realm. By order of High King Peter, the Magnificent."

"And by order of Queen Susan, the Gentle."

"And by order of King Edmund, the Just."

"And by order of Queen Lucy, the Valiant." All four of the Pevensies glared down at Tarkann Enriq, rage fiercely present in their eyes. Enriq scowled and sputtered for a while, but in the end, he could do nothing but stalk out, followed closely by his retainers. Once he left, Sarah let out a loud hiss. "I'm really glad I did that…but I should not have done that…" The Queens let out a small chuckle, and helped her to sit down in a padded chair that was nearby. "You did well, Sarah." Susan gently murmured. "You finally are rid of that evil Tarkaan." Sarah grinned shyly at her, before taking a deep breath. "I'm finally free…" she murmured, almost inaudibly. Lucy smiled brightly at her.

"Well done, My Daughter." Everyone turned to see Aslan slowly approaching. The entire courtroom knelt in front of him, bowing their heads. Sarah was inwardly terrified. She knew that Aslan was the High King over High Kings, and she also knew that he couldn't love someone like her, with what she had done. She was too broken for it.

"Rise, all of you." Almost all of the people and Narnians in the courtroom rose to their feet. "That includes you, Sarah." Everyone looked over to see that Sarah was still kneeling, refusing to get up. She slowly shook her head. "I…I can't, Your Majesty. You…you wouldn't want someone like me following you. I'm too broken for it."

"Dear One. You have suffered much in your life. But no matter what you went through, I was always with you." Sarah looked up at him in shock. "No one is too broken for Me-My love covers your brokenness." He padded forwards, until he was standing right in front of her. "You are My Daughter, and I will never stop loving you. You are never alone." He leaned forwards a little, and gently breathed on her. Sarah took in a deep breath, and a second later she was moving forwards and hugging Aslan as tight as she could. The Pevensies and others near her could also hear her crying extremely hard. Aslan chuckled warmly, and as she hugged him, she could feel a warmth spreading all the way through her. After a while, she was able to calm down, and slowly let go of Aslan. "Thank…thank you, sir." she whispered. Aslan smiled down at her, and gave her a lion's kiss on her forehead. "You are most welcome, Dear One." He then turned to the Pevensies. "You have done well, My Children."

"Thank you, Aslan." Lucy said. "We just showed her the love that you showed us…and Sarah's an easy person to love." Sarah smiled shyly at Lucy's words. Aslan chuckled.

"That she is. Keep showing her that love, and how to live for me." The Kings and Queens nodded. With a sudden flash, Aslan was gone. Sarah stepped back in shock, not used to the Lion's tendency to disappear and reappear in mere seconds. Then, she turned to look at the Pevensies. "So…what happens now?" she murmured. "I have no idea who my family is, or even where I come from…"

"Well, first and foremost, you are staying here while you heal from all of your injuries." Susan said, glaring at her brothers and sister as if daring them to contradict her. No one did, of course. "And then…if you're interested…one of Lucy's maid servants just retired a week ago…I know you're probably tired of that kind of thing, but-"

"No-I'd…I'd like that. That is…if Her Majesty is okay with it…" The beaming smile on Lucy's face and the gentle hug she gave Sarah quickly answered that question. "Of course I'm okay with it. On one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"That you call me Lucy, not Her Majesty. We're friends, and I don't want my friends to have to be all formal when they address me. I'm sure Edmund, Peter, and Susan feel the same." Her brothers and sister nodded.

Sarah smiled shyly and nodded. "I can do that." She leaned forwards and gave Lucy a quick hug. "Thank you." she whispered.

"You're welcome. I know we would all miss you if you left Cair Paravel…especially Edmund." Edmund spluttered behind her, but he had a grin on his face all the same. Sarah and Lucy both laughed. Peter and Susan just rolled their eyes.

As she looked at the four of them, Sarah let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she was free from that evil Tarkaan. Finally, she had friends, and something to live for. Finally, she had some _one_ to live for.

Finally-she was home.

 _ **A/N 2: Well…this story has been interesting…**_ __ _ **I started at the beginning, but then couldn't keep going from that beginning…so then I jumped to the bit where Sarah wakes up in the stables and went from their…and then went back to the beginning and finished that part…and now I can't feel my brain. ;) This story has been a beast of a thing, but I'm sad that it's over! It's my first foray back into Narnia since my dud stories, and I think it went rather well! Also, no one is probably interested in this, but my OC is named after my friend Sarah Carrier, who I've talked a ton with about fanfiction…**_ __ _ **I also enjoy it when she charges me and mobs me with hugs… ;) Love ya, Sarah!**_ __

 _ **Well, I hope you enjoyed this story…and I'll see you all soon! (Probably not in this fandom, though…I haven't had any Narnia ideas sprouting up in my brain…but I hope to soon! Hopefully after all of my crazy fanfics settle down… (3 multi-chapters and 2 giant one-shots…ugh…why do I do this to myself? In college, no less!))**_

 _ **God bless,**_

 _ **1monster2**_


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